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but we ran low and didn’t have enough in
stock to fill our fall orders. Unfortunately,
we hadn’t thought to check in advance
with the factory regarding their produc-
tion capabilities or schedule, and their
three-week holiday in August caught us
completely off guard.
“The last thing we wanted was to ship
orders without the centerpiece of the
co-op ad! We contacted every designer
we knew stateside who used the chain
A one-of-a-kind 18k green gold, fresh-
water baroque pearl, green tourmaline,
and diamond pendant from Jane Bohan.
A gold and diamond enhancer on a double
strand of pearls shows Paul Robilotti’s Roman
and Greek influences.The Quadrum Gallery, in Boston, Mass.
Manager Sia Maravalias abides by “The Law
of the Garbage Truck.”In her more than 30
years in the jewelry bus-
iness, Marlene Richey
has run a wholesale
business and a retail
gallery. She can be
reached by email
at marlenerichey@
gmail.com.and bought it from them. We found
enough to tide us over until the German
production became available again. This
experience taught us to be very clear
about sourcing timelines that would
impact our in-house production, and to
maintain good relationships with other
designers/manufacturers.”Paul Robilotti, jewelry designer
Paul told me the story of his first show —
it was a national jewelry trade show, and
he wanted to conquer the world. (Perhaps
that was fitting, since his jewelry is based
on Roman and Greek design!) So, for his
display, he carried in two eight-foot plaster
columns along with a marble fountain
suitable for the Roman Colosseum! While
standing there admiring his colossal eff-
orts, he says, “I realized that we then had
to fill [the fountain] with water.”
So, off he went with only a flower vase
to fetch water again and again and again.Sia Maravelias, manager (Quadrum Gallery, Boston, Mass.)
“I was given ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck’ years ago and have it printed above
my desk as a constant reminder to ‘Let no one steal your peace.’ The story goes:
“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of
frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment ... As their garbage piles up,
they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take
it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their
garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The
bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their
day. Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it!”The icing on the cake? After an exhausting
trade show came the sick realization that
he now had to dismantle and remove his
wannabe Trevi Fountain in reverse order,
starting with the water ... one vase-full at
a time. Suffice to say, the Robilotti display
at the next show was significantly toned
down. The fountain and columns are truly
the stuff of show legend, however!Perhaps that is the key takeaway —
if mistakes make great stories, then epic
mistakes make epic stories. If you look
back on a mistake as a story, divorced
from your ego, you can see that it has
a beginning, a middle, an end ... and a
moral. Learn from your mistakes, prosper
from them, and maybe even get rich off of
them. Now, go out there and make some
wonderfully inspiring mistakes!